Rock Star Suicide and Me.

Sound Garden and Audio Slave are among favorites in my catalog. They have that voice in common. Dude could write a song and deliver haunting melody. I may be premature with this post and if I am I mean no disrespect.

Preliminary report is that he committed suicide at 52 years old. That’s not my problem. As many of you know now, I am an advocate for awareness and prevention and understand more than normal. I’ve taken time to educate myself on the act and subsequent stigma. Plus, I have lived experience.

Here’s my issue. CC will have an unbelievable day of tribute. For his genius in the music industry he will be on every station and stories will be told. There will be stories from the road, the studio and perhaps some gems that common folk have never heard. It will be part inspiring, part saddening and part maddening. By the end of the week the public will know more about Chris Cornell’s life and death than ever before.

A “common” man carries out the act of suicide and there is an hour or so of tribute to his/her life. It’s all saddening and the inspiration portion is shortened. Questions won’t be answered and the stigma grows, like a cyst. I know so many people that earned the right to have their story told but when it comes to the “ending” credits, “leave it out” is what the writer receives. “Too sad,” “don’t want to make waves,” “not how we want to remember them,” etc….. So the common man that carries out the act of suicide doesn’t get the attention. The cyst is covered up by societal bandages.

The list of celebrity suicide grows, so does the list of the general public. I try to help people all the time. I feel like I’m a nuisance to some. I write out of frustration this morning because as you are blaring “Black Hole Sun,” I’m thinking about all the others. Pause for a moment and think about your friends that might need you. They might just need to talk.